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Taser has already sold 53,000 body cameras to police departments in the US, ABC reported.

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said: 'I think it will change all of law enforcement.

'The LAPD is the biggest agency that is doing this.

'But it won't be long before all cops will do this. This is going to become a common piece of equipment for law enforcement.

'The question will be not if you have them but why don't you have them?

'I think it shows that we believe in what we do enough to put it on film.'

The ACLU of Southern California wrote a letter urging the US Justice Department to deny funding for the cameras until the LAPD revamps its video policy, which the ACLU said is seriously flawed.

The policy allows officers to review video of incidents before speaking to investigators but says nothing about releasing video to the public, though Chief Beck has indicated in public comments that those videos would generally not be released.

The LAPD policy appears to provide some discretion for department investigators to block officers from viewing their videos in certain rare and unspecified cases.

Peter Bibring, director of police practices and senior staff attorney at the ACLU, wrote: 'By withholding video from the public, requiring officers to review video before making statements in use of force and misconduct investigations, and failing to include protections against the use of body-worn cameras as general surveillance tools, LAPD's policy provides no transparency and threatens to taint the integrity of investigations and undermine the public trust.'

The letter urged the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance to consider the policies of departments before providing grant funding for cameras.

The ACLU initially supported the LAPD's effort to acquire body cameras but then said the policy does more harm than good.

The group also said the LAPD's process for developing the policy did not include meaningful public input.

Despite the ACLU's protests, the LAPD was awarded a $1million federal grant for the cameras.